Oscars Regular Billy Crystal “Itchy” To Host Again

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As Sally once said to Harry: “The first date back is always the toughest.”

But to a longtime Oscars veteran like Billy Crystal, hosting the Academy Awards might be more like riding a bike.

The comedian and actor said he was “itchy” to host again, after his cameo on this February’s awards ceremony after a fan asked him about the Academy Awards at a 20th anniversary screening of “City Slickers” in Santa Monica.

Crystal, who hosted the show eight times between 1990 and 2004, said that the “sameness” got to be “too much,” The Los Angeles Times reported. “That’s why I pulled back. And when I thought I might want to do it again, they were on to other people.”

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But he said one ore two more times could be fun. “I don’t know,” the 63-year-old actor said, “They know where I am.”

Last year’s Oscars were hosted by James Franco and Anne Hathaway—some of the youngest hosts in the academy’s history—but the broadcast failed to bring in the young, hip crowd they had hoped, or the ratings they craved.

Brett Ratner ("X-Men," "Rush Hour") will co-produce the Academy Awards next year, but a host has yet to be selected.